Valerian e la città dei mille pianeti

The first thing I want to say about this movie is that the visuals are absolutely insane! It's really a joy to watch, the aliens are extremely well made and the first scene is just gorgeous!

The story is predictable, but can keep you interested for most of the time. The main problem was the way things are explained, it's like the movie think that the viewers are not intelligent enough, and many times I found myself saying "well that was obvious". There are some scenes that have zero impact on the story, and they give you nothing interesting. I really wanted to know more about this world, about the species, but sadly that didn't happen.

The dialog is good but nothing exiting, sometimes they say the same stuff over and over and you may find yourself thinking "we get it, move on", and it's really cheesy at some points.

The acting is very good, the chemistry between Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne is great, and overall all the cast delivers.

This movie wasn't something amazing as I thought it would be judging by the trailers, but I still enjoyed it very much, the actions scenes were great and the humor was on point most of the time. I won't recommend this for those who look for something clever with breathtaking twists, but for those who enjoy solid acting, nice story and amazing visuals, this movie is definitely recommended.

Overall 7/10

Thanks for reading!

When I heard Luc Besson was going to work on a space opera, I immediately hoped it would be like "The Fifth Element" but with a little bit more complexity that would turn into a franchise. Unfortunately, I was mislead by my own hopes and expectations.

For an international French movie, "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" is a very ambitious project that was covered by an astonishing $200 million budget. Certainly, it has Luc Besson attached to write and direct and it is based on a famous long-running French comic-book series, so how can it go wrong? Well, many elements added to this dull but persistent aching after watching the whole film.

First of all, 6/10 is a high rating for it, but to my reason it had stunning visual effects for a non-Hollywood or British movie and that is a remarkable thing to accomplish. It's not always easy to face-up against giants when it comes to the CGI business. Secondly, you could sense Besson's sci-fi additions with many quirky technological advancements in terms of guns or gadgets and small things like that make a true science-fiction film to me.

"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as two Special operatives who must stop evil-doers from destroying Alpha, the city of a thousand planets, and uncover the truth behind the extinction of an alien race. Right off the bat you could tell that the chemistry between DeHaan and Delevingne didn't exist and it stayed that way until the end of the picture. I personally think that Dane DeHaan has potential, but it was clear that this set was not suitable for him. The casting really missed this one. The script didn't help either, at times making me question how some parts of the dialogue were ever spoken out loud. With the right casting and script this movie could have been worth something.

This concludes another recent attempt at the space opera genre, after The Wachowskis' "Jupiter Ascending", and it turns out that a space opera needs time and preparation to do it right and not rush development.

I expected much much more...especially from LB.

So much potential in the story but the actors, dialogs and main characters simply didnt do the job.

It could have been one of the best movies but in the end its nothing....such potential, such visuals, such story...all went down the drain.

So many positives for the film - good, complex story, excellent world building and great effects, and even a nod to the Fifth Element for Besson fans. And one negative - Dane DeHaan is not an action adventure leading man. What was Besson thinking? Sadly this is too big a negative to ignore and it completely ruins a film that could have been great.

I don't know DeHaan personally, he may be a great guy who is kind to puppies. But he simply does not have the on screen leading man charisma needed for a film like this. Instead of the cool, attractive, manly man with a hint of menace who can be relied on to battle the baddies and save the girl (like he is in the comics) DeHaan comes across like a slightly creepy looking entitled teenager who has decided that he's going to spend Daddy's money on being a space hero. You will hate him.

Unlike other reviewers, I actually think that Cara Delevingne is very good in this - her acting has vastly improved since Suicide Squad. That shame is that had she been opposite a better leading man it would have been far easier to spot

Two scrawny kids are presented as two of the best in the military / secret service. A General and a Sergeant, who look more like they would be good at helping you use an app on your phone. Valerian wants to marry Laureline for no apparent reason, and maintains a somewhat bored routine of presumptuous courting throughout

Unfortunately I could not get past this huge miss-casting. It removes any potential tension throughout because as the viewer you feel more capable of whatever task needs to be done by the protagonists

The script is also throwaway, full of obvious plot developments and overused dialogue

What brings the rating up to a 5 is that the visuals are both very creative and abundant. There are enough fantastical monsters, weapons, architecture, worlds, space ships etc to fill a trilogy

If only Luc Besson had got a script writer and cast as good as he did for Fifth Element, he'd have another cult classic.